GUELPH - It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Born and raised in Guelph, Camille Martin will be part of the protocol team at the Summer Olympics in Paris, France from July 26 – Aug. 11.
Now living in France, and hearing that the Summer Games were going to be held in her neck of the woods, Martin did not want to miss out.
“When I found out that Paris was going to host the Olympics, and I said wow! I should volunteer. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I thought, well, I’ve just got to do this,” Martin said.
“I figure it’s a really unique experience, and I think that’s what it's all about. It's a human adventure.”
As a member of the protocol team, Martin will volunteer at the Stade de France, the country's national stadium, which is also the largest, located just north of Paris in Saint-Denis.
“At the end of July, I'll be there for the Rugby Sevens. Once that’s over, the Athletics will be held at the Stade de France,” Martin said.
“I’m not sure what I’ll be doing exactly, but I know I will be helping with ‘everything protocol’. I’ll be there to help people communicate, find their way, and maybe even participate in the medal ceremonies.”
Martin has also done some training in language services and hopes that she might have an opportunity to interpret for some TV channels during the games.
The 44-year-old left her hometown of Guelph to work at Vimy Ridge in 2003. She has now lived in France for the last 20 years and works as a high school English teacher.
“I live in the village is Proisy, in the region for France called Hauts de France. I do like this part of France because it’s not far from Belgium and I can skip over to England for a day or weekend,” Martin said.
Growing up in Guelph, Martin attended St. Rene Elementary School, St. James Catholic High School, and then went on to study at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.
Martin says she looks forward to visiting Guelph with her 10-year-old son in October.
“Normally, I would travel to Canada during the summer holidays and visit my parents, but I said, well, I won’t be coming this year because of the Olympics. So I will visit for Halloween with my son,” she said.
“He does think it’s pretty cool that I’ll be at the Olympics. He came with me the other day to get my uniform and badge. We talk about it a lot.”
The 2024 Games will mark the return of the Olympics to Paris after 100 years.
“I thought this was an ‘easyish’ opportunity to do something really cool. There’s a whole lot of hype about it. There’s equality between men and women, volunteers and athletes. And they say this will be one of the most sustainable games, using green energy,” Martin said.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It’s not every year that this happens, that the Olympics will be just next to the place you live.”